Get to know some of this year’s speakers and their hot topics,up close and personal. | by stacey goldberg

How can photographers of different
backgrounds and genres benefit from the
lessons in your presentation?

AH:This course will appeal to photographerswho want to comprehend why clients spendtheir money the way they do, and how wecan control their spending by applying itto our business with intentional methods inmarketing, pricing and in-person sales. Mostphotographers price themselves withoutunderstanding all of the factors that go in tomaking a profit. Understanding generationaldifferences in our target markets, and how wecan use those to leverage what we know aboutconsumerism, will aid photographers ultimatelythrough to the actual sale of products.

What is an example of a generational
buying habit that you’ve experienced?

AH: Today’s seniors want a digital productwhile their parents value tangible productsfor their home. To feed into this split, I haveseparated my tangible products from mydigital products in my collections until youreach the top option. With this structure,the only way that the senior and parent canboth get what they want is if they purchasethe top collection, where I offer a specialtyproduct credit so that the client can chooseexactly what they want. My most popularproducts are canvas collections, albums,collages, senior yearbooks and, of course,graduation announcements. Clients canpick from those and, in the top collection,it also comes with the digital products, likea gold/glass thumb drive, for example. Thisensures a high-end sale almost every time.

Understanding what your clients want and
crafting those specific applications to your
business can give you an advantage unlike
anything else.

What was your favorite class in high school
and why?

AH: Economics. I’ve always loved observing
correlations in money and the psychology
of consumerism. I completely fell in love
with microeconomics because it had so
much more to do with the individual’s
brain rather than the community as a
whole, like in macroeconomics. I’ve always
been fascinated by human psychology
and wealth, and the two went hand in
hand in that class. (Turn to page 62 for
some valuable in-person sales tips from
Holloway.)

It’s no surprise that there are some big changes this year at WPPI—most notably the

new venue (the Las Vegas Convention Center) and expanded show floor—but that’snot all that’s new. Attendees looking at the presentation lineup will see that it ispacked with new speakers from across the globe, all ready and willing to share their uniqueperspectives and expertise. We spoke with five WPPI newbies—and a legend who’s back aftertaking some time off—to uncover the insights and skillsets they’ll be sharing in Las Vegas (plus afun fact we bet you didn’t know about them).